Scrapbook for Beginners, How to Start a Scrapbook

A common misconception about scrapbooking is that all you need to do is grab a bunch of old photos, some glue and a three ring binder; stick everything together on a page and you're done. As an SDU Certified Scrapbook Instructor, let me tell you, there is more to it than that. There is a method to the madness. Follow this scrapbooking for beginners guide and you'll be creating spectacular scrapbook pages in no time.

Where to start: A Scrapbooker's First Priority

1. Collect photos and media. Whether you use traditional photographs, digital art or old postcards as the visual focal points of your scrapbook, you'll need to collect them. Gather up everything you think you might want or need and dump them in a large pile somewhere.

2. Sort Photos and media. Once you have everything collected in one place you need to start sorting your photos and media according to how you visualize your scrapbook. Watch for a recurring theme in color, photo size, composition or content. Once you start identifying a common theme, group your photos and media as such. Bundle each pile up and lable according to theme.

3. Gather all your supplies so you have them on hand when you get started designing your scrapbook. The Basic scrapbooking supplies include a paper trimmer, assorted colored cardstock, assorted paper punches, archival quality markers and pens, two way adhesive, stickers, embellishments, a ruler and a scrapbook.

Organize a Scrapbook Outline

Scrapbooking should come from the heart and so the contents inside should be important enough to be on the page. Each photo or sticker should mean something; not just be something to take up space. One of the best ways to make every page of your scrapbook count is to create a rough scrapbook outline. Here's a few questions to get you started on your own scrapbook outline.

Why do I want to make a scrapbook? (Is it a memorial? Is it a happy memory, a time of struggle, a new birth, a wedding, best friend's road trip?)
What kind of mood do I want my scrapbook to convey?
Do I want a lot of photos on a page?
Do I want a small or large scrapbook?

Journal Your Memories

As you sorted through your photos or media you should have found yourself recollecting, recalling and reminiscing. Now is the time to get a notebook and a pencil and write those thoughts down. It can be a sentence or two, a paragraph or just one word. Be sure to cross reference the note with the photo so you can pull them together later during your page design.

Create a Scrapbook Page

This is it! This is the moment you have been waiting for. You've looked through all your photos, sorted the stacks, journaled notes and narration, and organized an outline; now you're ready to create your first scrapbook page. Get on with it. Go design your scrapbook pages.

Learn scrapbook page design tips from a SDU Certified Scrapbook Instructor; read my other scrapbooking articles by visiting my profile.